Interview with artist KT Doyle
KT seems like a quiet achiever, working on many solo and commissioned projects, but in fact, she’s been featured in many magazines and newspapers such as Vogue Living, Home Beautiful, InDesign Asia and Madison Magazine. And, KT was named one of Design Quarterly’s Top Ten Faces and Forces of Design for 2011.
The past few years have seen KT go from strength to strength. With a Brisbane City Council Creative Sparks Grant, KT launched her first wallpaper and textiles collection. Then in 2009, KT received a SignatureBrisbane Seed Grant, was a finalist in Queensland Design on Show (QDOS), and in 2010 was granted a Janet Holmes à Court Artists’ Grant, and named a finalist in the Desktop Create Awards (DC10).
Brisbane readers might be familiar with the gorgeous stairwell at Laruche Bar & Supperclub. Read on for some beautiful photos of KT’s work further down the article. For such a stand-out finished project, it was interesting to read KT’s notes from the original brief on this job.
Her instructions were to create a bespoke wallcovering for Laruche that reflects…
“1920s Berlin, meets Tim Burton, meets Alice in Wonderland and Beetlejuice, meets the Melbourne Supper Club and Art Nouveau.”
On a creative level, KT tells that she is incredibly organised and methodical. Her studio is extremely tidy and she now believes in being a complete uni-tasker.
KT’s artwork also reflects her love and dedication for history and research. Her exhibition, Collected Patterns: The botany of Walter Hill came about from research of Walter Hill, the first and most significant curator of the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens (1855-1881).
What I learned last week is KT’s blog where she often reflects on her creative practice. You can read more about KT’s work on her website, and purchase limited edition prints and wallpapers in her online store.
Lucerne, letterpress print from Collected Patterns: The botany of Walter Hill, 2011. Photo: KT Doyle.
Giclée prints from Collected Patterns: The botany of Walter Hill, 2011. Photo: Troy Hansen.
Flannel Flower Damask wallpaper in gold on purple colourway for Moore & Moore, 2011. Photo: John Paul Urizar.
Gum Leaves wallpaper in black on white colourway for Moore & Moore, 2011. Photo: John Paul Urizar.
How have you got to where you are today?
I originally trained at Queensland College of Art in Fine Art, and soon after began a period of extensive travel. I supported myself as a mime artist so I could live in Paris and research textiles and decorative arts. I was incredibly drawn to medieval French tapestries with their intricate patterns and historical content.
Eventually I returned to Australia to complete my Masters in Fine Art in Tapestry and a decade on, I am still inspired by textiles. However, now my work has shifted from traditional three-dimensional tapestries to two-dimensional works on textiles and paper.
In a few words, describe yourself…
I like space, peace and quite and I just like time to think… We don’t give ourselves enough time to contemplate and I believe this is such an important part of the creative process.
I love history and like to imagine what life was like for people who have lived before us. For this reason I love reading biographies and autobiographies and love working on historically centred projects.
I also have a deep, emotional connection to my environment and people around me, which I believe gives me a heightened understanding of what clients want and need in relation to a brief.
What are you spending your time on at the moment?
After the success of my solo exhibition last year, Collected Patterns: The botany of Walter Hill, I am developing a new body of print-based work with a historical focus. I’m also working on a number of local and international commercial proposals.
Falling Leaves wallpaper & textiles by KT Doyle, 2009. Photo: Troy Hansen.
Falling Leaves wool/bamboo blend reversible textiles by KT Doyle, 2009. Photo: KT Doyle.
Do you have a ritual for getting into the creative mindset? Or a creative process?
I’ve never been the ‘artist in a garret’ type, up at two in the morning painting and drinking red wine. I’m not only the creative in my practice, but the project manager too and move forward with ideas, projects and goals because of an ongoing commitment to regularity in my routine, setting milestones and dreaming big.
Even though I’m constantly thinking about my work, I’m physically in the studio from 9am-5pm, Monday to Friday. I check emails in the morning and again late in the afternoon and other than that, I don’t look at them again. This way, I can really maintain continuity and flow in the creative process.
I think we suffer too much from ‘disruption disorder’ and we don’t consider how constant interruptions affect our creative mindset. It’s all about focus.
I’m also really clear about what I do–this is my job and it’s a great one too!
Laruche bespoke wallpaper for Laruche Bar & Supperclub, Brisbane 2009. Photo: Troy Hansen.
Laruche bespoke wallpaper (detail) for Laruche Bar & Supperclub, Brisbane 2009. Photo: Troy Hansen.
What or who inspires you?
I’m inspired by history and stories. Stories about people and places. I’m hooked on pattern and surface design, so textiles, wallpaper and designs both old and contemporary are always on my radar.
A good example of this is my 2011 exhibition: Collected Patterns: The botany of Walter Hill. When I found out about Walter Hill, the first and most significant curator of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, I was so inspired by his botanical and agricultural work that I wanted to bring awareness to his life and did so through a series of prints on paper and works in textiles celebrating the plants he cultivated in the Gardens. Plants are such an amazing resource for patternmaking and I really fell in love with them during this project.
What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of the way I push and challenge myself. I’m continually growing and learning and that’s so exciting. Regarding recent projects, I loved working on Collected Patterns and also designing the initial collection for Sydney-based Moore & Moore Wallpaper.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child, I didn’t know what career path I wanted to take. I learned ballet, tap and jazz and played the piano. I loved to sing and acted in theatre and drew a lot! I really enjoyed all things creative and decided to enrol in Art College after high school and haven’t looked back!
